In a significant development for Nigeria’s education sector, President Bola Tinubu has approved the conversion of Nigeria’s first higher educational institution, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) into a full-fledged university.
The decision followed a request from the college’s management, which had long sought the upgrade.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa who praised YABATECH’s readiness for the transition, citing its robust academic structure, over 200 staff members with doctorate degrees, and its legacy as a leading institution in technical and vocational educationduring a working visit to the institution on Friday.
Alausa said, “The Rector said some minutes ago that the staff, students and management of the college have been praying and fasting that it be converted to a university. Somehow, you have kind of ambushed me, but I must let you know that when I discussed the issue with President Bola Tinubu, he did not waste time in approving. I am just waiting for the memo and other necessary protocols from the appropriate quarters. This school is a legacy and with over 200 staff members holding doctorate degrees in various fields, it is more than ready and fit to become a university. All the credit about this should go to the President who loves education and is concerned about giving the best to the youths who are our future leaders.”
During his visit, . Alausa inaugurated and inspected several projects at the college, commending the management for its maintenance culture and pursuit of excellence. He assured the institution of the federal government’s support in its transition to a university, emphasizing the importance of innovation and investment in technology for national development.
The Minister also highlighted the Tinubu administration’s focus on revitalizing technical and vocational education, noting that this aligns with efforts to adess the “Japa Sydrome,” where Nigerians seek opportunities abroad.
“We are not taking the issue of Artificial Intelligence, robotics, coding and others with levity. We know that if our youths are good at those things, they can be in Nigeria and working for firms in many parts of the world and they will be earning foreign exchange. That will help stem this Japa of a thing, where people would travel abroad to do menial jobs,” he said.
. Alausa criticized the decades-long neglect of technical and vocational education in Nigeria, which he said had led to an overemphasis on white-collar jobs.
“In Europe and other places, the focus has been on incorporating TVET to become a core aspect of their education system and that is what we are doing now. We need education that would aid manufacturing and technological innovations and that would also lead to a robust private sector which will ive societal growth and development,” he added.
The Rector of YABATECH, Ibrahim Abdul, expressed gratitude for the approval, stating that the institution was well-prepared for the upgrade.
“While we are praying that we become a university, we don’t want to become just one of those universities. We want to be a university of Technical and Vocational Education that would bring innovation and also solve societal problems and challenges and contribute greatly to the advancement of our dear country. We have the manpower and we just need the support of the government in this regard” he said.
The Chairman of the Governing Council, Funso Afolabi, thanked the Minister for his visit and urged the federal government to support the institution’s transition.
A bill formalizing the change in status and the new name of the university is expected to be sent to the National Assembly for passage and presidential assent.
Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) was founded in 1947 as Yaba Technical Institute, Nigeria’s first technical institute. It became Yaba College of Technology in 1963, and gained autonomous status in 1969.
